


Close My Eyes and Jump

by tini_dancer



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Alex Mercer-centric (Julie and The Phantoms), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Asexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Canon LGBTQ Character, Carrie is a princess, Established Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), I'm Sorry, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Carrie Wilson, Lesbian Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Modern Royalty, Multi, Nick Danforth-Evans - Freeform, Nick is queer and nonbinary, alex is a prince, and they are kings, he/they Reggie Peters, part of this takes place before they come out, ryan and chad are nick's dads, she/they flynn, so wrong pronouns will be used for a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28953879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tini_dancer/pseuds/tini_dancer
Summary: Alex Mercer has a perfect life, in his opinion. He has his band, his family, and the love of his life. That's all he's ever known and it's all he'll ever need.That is, until he finds out that he is the heir to the throne of a small European country.Alex comes to a dilemma that he has to make a decision on: either go on and live the life he's always known and let the country fall to the power hungry wannabe dictator Caleb Covington, or change his life completely and live out the life he was literally born to live. He meets new people, discovers new realities, and tries to find a balance in his old and new life.Maybe Flynn had a point when they said that Mercer sounded like a royal last name.(a Julie and the Phantoms royalty au, very loosely based on The Princess Diaries (2001))
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn/Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Nick/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> -Ever since Alex's last name was revealed, everyone's been saying that it sounds like a royal last name, so here we are lol  
> -I know that there is another JATP Alex-centric royal au more closely based on The Princess Diaries, and I promise that I am not copying or stealing anything from that author. I will admit that their work was the inspiration for me to write my own royalty au :)  
> -This takes place starting in April 2021. No COVID :)  
> -there are no trigger warnings in this prologue, but in future chapters I will include trigger warnings

The kingdom of Norora was one of unique and beautiful history. First an untouched island, then colonized by the Vikings and turned into a shipping and fishing town. In the late 1600s, the British invaded and took the town as its own colony. The United Kingdom ruled over Norora for nearly a century and a half before the people, who drew inspiration from the thirteen colonies on the other side of the world, got the courage to take a stand. The UK, unable to afford another war after the multiple that had been through over the years, peacefully granted the island independence, and out came what is now known as the small nation of Norora. And since then, they have been led by the royal Astors. That is, until 2014.

For the first time in the country’s history, there was no male heir to the throne, which wasn’t the main problem, but whenever Queen Marie passed away in a car accident, the Astors lost the throne. It fell to the Queen’s husband, King Anthony Ryder, making Ryder the royal family name. But that wasn’t the worst part. With the Queen’s death came the hunger for power, that hunger coming from Caleb Covington. He was once royal advisor, which made him very knowledgeable in Norora customs, politics, and law. Since Marie and Anthony never had a child, someday the throne would be vacant and up for the taking, and Caleb wanted it. The King was well aware of this, which is why he banished Covington, but he knew he would return once he was gone or unfit to serve. He assumed that that wouldn’t be for quite some time.

“Thank you all for coming this afternoon,” King Anthony said to his highest ranked peers, including his royal advisor Aiden Samson, his head of security, the head knight, and Elodie Astor, Marie’s mother who had renounced her crown in 2005 so that her daughter could be Queen. 

“Your Majesty, if I may,” Aiden said, a bit uncomfortable in his seat, “You called this meeting quite out of nowhere. As much as I wish not to ask this, does this have to do with Covington?”

“It couldn’t be,” the head of security, Hillary Reynolds, replied, “our sources have been keeping a close eye on him in Sweden. Yes, he has a bit of a following, but nothing that we cannot handle. There are no signs of an upcoming attack. I briefed the King on this only two days ago, right, your Majesty?”

King Anthony nodded, “Ms. Reynolds is correct, there is nothing imminent, but Covington is the underlying concern of this meeting.”

Aiden furrowed his eyebrows, “I’m confused, sir. What is happening?”

The King cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his seat at the end of the table, “As you are all aware, I visited the doctor a few weeks ago after experiencing some fatigue and illness. I thought it was just the flu, but it turns out that is not the case…”

He fell silent. This was obviously very hard for him to talk about. Elodie was sitting to his right, and after years of getting to know him like a son, she could read him like a book. Whatever this was was serious. 

“Anthony…” she grabbed his hand softly

He looked to his mother-in-law somberly, then to the group and said, “This morning my doctor called and gave me the news no one ever wishes to get. As of this morning I have been diagnosed with stage two pancreatic cancer. It is estimated that I have only a year or two left.”

Again, there were no words. Elodie let a tear slip as she gripped onto Anthony’s hand tighter. She was aware of what this meant. They all did. The King continued on.

“This news does not leave this room. If it gets out, not only would it send our people into a frenzy, it could lead to a war with Covington before we are ready. Someday I will not be able to simply hold a meeting because of how ill I will be. When it comes to that point, Covington will strike. So, Sir Francis, I need you to start recruiting more knights and increase training protocols, just to be safe. Ms. Reynolds, keep a closer eye on Covington and increase security on the castle.”

Hillary nodded and swallowed a lump in her throat, “Your Majesty, I am so sorry.”

“Yes, I wish there was more that we could do,” Sir Francis, the knight, said.

“I do as well,” the King said, “but unfortunately nature works in mysterious ways. Kings become ill, queens do not bear children, royalty bears enemies from within. All that we can do is be prepared. That and begin to find the person in Norora most worthy of the throne and begin a new monarchy from scratch. Aiden, I am placing you in charge of that.”

“How are we supposed to find a new royal family if we are to keep this a secret?” Aiden asked, conflicted.

“Aiden will not have to find a new royal.”

Everyone’s eyes snapped to Elodie. She was still silently crying, her gaze at her lap. With a shaky breath, Anthony turned to face her fully.

“Elodie, what do you mean?”

She looked up with tears in her eyes, “There is a living blood royal.”

About ten minutes later, the group had a small television and a CD player brought into the meeting room while Elodie went to grab a CD that would “explain what I mean.” When she returned, she placed the disc into the player and began the video.

_ “Are you ready, Marie?” asked a voice behind the camera. It was of a young American man. In the frame was the then-Princess Marie, laying in a hospital bed. _

_ “I thought this would never happen,” Marie replied with a tired smile, “the doctors said it would be impossible. Yet here we are.” _

_ The camera shifted a little to where the operator was now in frame with Marie. _

_ “Today is October 14th, 2003,” said the man with a bright smile, “and in just a few hours, we are going to have a son.” _

Anthony’s breath hitched. He looked over to Elodie, whose eyes were locked on the screen. He turned back to the television.

_ The scene changes and Marie is clearly pushing, as said by the strain on her face and the counting of the doctor. The man behind the camera, the father of the child being birthed, was giving loving affirmations to the Princess. _

_ A few minutes later, cries fill the air and the words “It’s a boy!” are said. The baby is placed on Marie’s chest, and the new mother is moved to tears. The father is too. _

_ “Let me take the camera,” whispers a voice from behind. _

_ “Yeah, come meet your son, Carlisle,” Marie says. The man, Carlisle, gives the camera over to whoever asked to take it. He joins Marie at the bed and the camera looks down at the baby, then at the proud parents. _

Anthony could not believe his eyes.

_ “What’s his name?” Asked a voice, seemingly the doctor or a nurse. _

_ Marie smiles up at the person who asked, “Alexander. Alexander Andrew Mercer.” _

_ “Alright,” the camera pans to the nurse, who is filling out a sheet of paper on a clipboard, “Alexander Andrew Mercer, son of Carlisle Mercer and Marie Astor. Congratulations, you two!” _

_ The little baby comes into view again, a little smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Before the picture went dark, a quiet, light remark from Marie could be heard. _

_ “I love you, my prince.” _

The king turned to Elodie and, with a shaky tone, asked, “Marie has a son?”

She nodded, “Yes, she does.”

“How? Who was that man in the video?”

Elodie stood up to look at the four people in front of her. All were in different levels of shock, but none could match Anthony’s. She clasped her hands together and began to explain.

“Marie had always had a love for American affairs. As you know, the Prince or Princess of Norora is allowed one long trip to an allied country to study their culture and government, and Marie chose America. She went to Washington DC, their capitol, to visit and study the politics of America. I even signed her up for political science classes at a local university, for it was very difficult for a foreigner to get close to their leaders during that time, considering the war. It was in one of those classes where she met Carlisle.

“Carlisle Mercer was studying to become a lawyer at this university and ended up sharing a class with Marie. They sat next to one another and hit it off immediately. Oh, how quickly she fell for him. She called me one day to tell me that she had fallen madly in love with this future lawyer. It was a force no one could stop.

“The doctors had told us time and time again that it would be a 1 in a million chance that she would get pregnant. Low and behold, after the first ever try, it happened. After about four months of knowing each other, Marie became pregnant with Carlisle’s child. As you saw, they had a baby boy. Marie was present for Alexander’s first six months, but she knew that she needed to come back and eventually replace me as Queen, since my husband had already passed. So, she left Carlisle and Alexander and came back home. She never went back to visit. We decided to keep her son a secret, for she was sure that it was possible for her to have another child with her future husband. She never did…”

Aiden exhaled, “So there is an heir to the throne after all.”

“I cannot believe it…” Hillary sank into her chair and shook her head.

Elodie looked at Anthony, who was frozen in his place. After taking a few moments to compose himself, the king stood up and asked her, “So, where is he now?”


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> -mentions of fighting parents
> 
> Other notes:  
> -Reggie's pronouns are he/they  
> -Flynn's pronouns are she/they  
> -Alex's parents are accepting of him. I thought that would be a nice change from the usual JATP fics.

“... _my life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo…_ it needs something.”

Luke nodded at his girlfriend and tapped the rhythm of the song on the table with his pencil, “I agree, I just don’t know what.”

“Can’t this wait until after school?” Alex asked as he looked up from his homework, clearly annoyed.

“We have a gig tonight, there’s no time to think about writing while we’re packing our things into the van.” 

Alex reached over for his apple, “Okay, if you want to use that logic, then you really shouldn’t be thinking about anything other than what we are performing tonight. So, not an unfinished song.”

“Oh, Alex, give him a break,” Julie teased, “he’s been stressed about tonight all week.”

“Yeah, it’s not like we haven’t played there dozens of times before,” he said under his breath, taking a bite of the apple. Right now, all he wanted to do was pay attention to his algebra worksheet and not fail is German quiz later that day. Sorry if he cared about school during school hours.

Of course he wasn’t going to get what he wanted during lunch time.

“Okay, so, hypothetically, if I convinced my parents to let me adopt a hamster, where in my house is the best place to keep it?” Reggie hadn’t been there ten seconds and he was already on his crap.

Julie looked concerned, “Reggie, I would not trust you with a small animal.”

“Hey, I already have Garth, who is a pug,” he rebutled.

“Garth would probably eat a hamster, considering the fact that you feed him literally everything,” Luke said, his eyes not moving from his songbook.

Reggie rolled their eyes and turned back to Alex, “You would think my room would be the best idea, but it’s really small and I don’t think I have enough room for a nice cage for it. My little brother would love having a hamster, but he’s 11 so I don’t think he’d do a good job keeping it in his room. I would put it in the living room, but then it would have to overhear my parents’ constant fighting…”

Alex exhaled sharply and looked over at his bandmate, “Reg, not to be rude, but I don’t think any specific room would make that any less hard to hear. Now, can you help me with this? I can’t get past this step to save my life.”

“...you’re no fun.” 

Nonetheless, Reggie helped Alex with his homework. He might have been a bit of an airhead, but they were brilliant at math. That’s why they were a year ahead of all of them.

A few minutes later, after finally getting some tough problems done, Alex was greeted by a kiss on the cheek and, “Sorry I’m late.”

He turned to Willie and smiled, “Did you get in trouble again?”

“Nope,” his boyfriend grinned happily, “Mrs. Jenson actually held me over to praise me on my last essay. I only got an 84, but it's an improvement.”

Alex pushed some of Willie’s long hair behind his ear and said, “I’m so proud of you,” before pressing a small kiss to his lips.

“Ugh, you two are disgustingly adorable,” Flynn said from across the table, “I can’t wait until I find a pretty girl that I can kiss and be proud of.”

Julie judged her best friend a little, “Hey, if I weren’t straight, I’d totally date you. I actually feel kinda bad.”

“Hey! That hurt.” Alex rolled his eyes at Luke’s comment.

Reggie giggled a little, “Don’t feel bad, Julie. We love our token straight. Every gay friend group needs a token straight that can handle us.”

Julie pouted and turned to her boyfriend, “Are you also considered a token straight?”

“Considering I’m ace…” Luke thought for a second, “Nope. Sorry Jules.”

“Hey, since when do we care about labels in this group?” Flynn asked jokingly, “I mean, we have three homosexuals, one of which is a she/they,” she pointed excitingly at themself, “a he/they bisexual, an adorable ace, and a badass cishet. Our labels can get so mixed up that they shouldn’t matter.”

“They don’t matter,” Alex said.

“...well this got too serious really fast.”

The group laughed at Reggie’s remark and spent the rest of lunch chatting. Alex finished his algebra assignment with just enough time to put his school stuff back in his bag and wrap an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, bringing him close. Willie proceeded to cuddle into him a little.

“An echo! That’s what it needs!” Luke scribbled in his songbook, then sang aloud, “ _My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo...oh--oh._ ”

The bell rang immediately after, and Luke continued to squeal over the fact that he figured out what was missing from his and Julie’s half written song. The group moved to throw away their trash and migrate to the hallway, where they went over their plans for that afternoon and night before heading their separate ways to finish off the school day.

~~~~

“I have a feeling that this will not go well for us,” Hillary told Aiden, buttoning her suit jacket as she exited the limo. They were outside a decently sized home in Los Feliz, California, where they had identified to be the home of Carlisle Mercer and his son Alexander, their heir to their country’s throne.

Aiden shrugged, “Well, there is only so much we can do in the end. The best thing we can do is be honest and do our best to convince him.”

Together, the royal advisor and head of security walked to the front door, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal a short brunette woman in denim pants and a t-shirt that read _Julie and the Phantoms_. Her eyes widened as she studied her guests.

“Can I help you?” 

Aiden asked, “Is this the residence of Carlisle Mercer?”

The woman nodded slowly, “Yes, he’s my husband. May I ask who you are?”

“We are advisors to King Anthony William Ryder of Norora,” Hillary explained, “we request an audience with your husband.”

“N-Norora? Like the country off the coast of Norway?”

“Precisely,” Aiden nodded, “Now, may we speak to your husband? We have serious matters to discuss with him.”

The woman hesitated, then let them in, “Uh, yeah, he’s in his office. I’ll show you. I’m Georgia, by the way.”

Georgia led the two Nororans to the office, and Aiden and Hillary looked around as they walked. It was a simple home, not overly decorated. There were quite a few plants, but it brightened up the house. When in a hallway, Aiden looked to his left to see a family picture on the wall. There was Georgia next to a middle aged man, presumably Carlisle. On the far left was a young girl, maybe thirteen, with curly brown hair that matched Georgia’s, meaning that it was her daughter. And on the far right was a tall teenage boy with blond hair parted down the middle. That had to be Alexander. He was very handsome, strong. He had the looks of a prince.

“Hey Car, you have guests,” Georgia said after she opened the door to her husband’s office, “they say they’re from Norora.”

There was a mumbled response from the inside, and then Georgia let Aiden and Hillary in. Near the back of the room was a desk, and behind that desk was Carlisle. He gestured to the two chairs that sat in front of the desk, and they sat. Georgia stood next to her husband on his side of the desk.

“So, what brings you all the way to Cali?” He asked, “and why to me?”

“Mr. Mercer, you seem to be a very successful lawyer,” Aiden began, “which means you value truth and honesty. So let’s not dilly dally and get right to the chase. We know that you had a son with Queen Marie Astor.”

Carlisle swallowed and exhaled shakily, “Yes… although when we were together she wasn’t Queen yet.”

“Wait…” Georgia realized, “No, no, he’s not going anywhere.”

“Let them keep going, sweetie,” Carlisle stopped her, then turned back to Aiden and Hillary.

The head of security continued, “We do not know how up to date you are on Nororan news, but-”

“You guys aren’t on the world stage that often,” Carlisle said, “the last time you guys made major world news was almost seven years ago when Marie passed. Other than that, I know almost nothing.”

Aiden nodded, “So you don’t know that the King and Queen never had a child of their own?”

“...they didn’t?”

It came out quiet. Scared. Everyone was now on a similar page.

“Earlier this week, our King revealed to us that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” Hillary explained, “for the last seven years, since our Queen’s death, the old royal advisor, Caleb Covington, has been threatening war and to take over the monarchy to become the leader of Norora. He is, to be frank, insane. If he takes power, then Norora will become a dictatorship. With our King being given an estimated time of a maximum of two years, we began to think we would have to start preparing for war. We thought we were in horrid trouble. That is, until our previous Queen, Ms. Elodie Astor, Queen Marie’s mother, revealed the existence of your son.”

Georgia shook her head vigorously, “No, no, he’s isn’t going anywhere.”

“Mrs. Mercer, if-”

“He is seventeen years old! H-he doesn’t know about any of this. Carlisle never told him, and I’ve kept this secret since our families came together.”

Aiden set his eyes on Carlisle, who seemed to be in the middle of a mental crisis, “Sir?”

“I didn’t know Marie wouldn’t ever have another child,” he admitted, “I knew she had reproductive problems, and I knew that it was a miracle that we had one in the first place. But she was confident that she would have another one with her future king. That’s why I never told Alex. I was so confident that he would never have to serve.”

Hillary softened her posture and bit her lip, “Look, I understand where you are coming from. It makes sense why you never told him. But now… we do not want to lose our home to a mad dictator. We want our loving royal family to lead us like they always have: with dignity, kindness, and passion. If Alexander is anything like his mother, then he is fit to serve Norora.”

Carlisle sat back in his chair. Alex was a lot like Marie. He was kind to everyone he met, even if it was after getting slurs spat at him. He handled bullying and hate with dignity and strength. He was confident in his identity and his passions, which unfortunately for the Nororans was music, not political science or ruling a country. But Alex had a major anxiety problem that kept him from doing a lot of stuff. He was not good at public speaking and some serious topics would send him into anxiety and panic attacks. 

It was a very muddy situation.

Carlisle looked up to his wife and said, “I’m going to have to tell him.”

“I don’t know how’d he take it.”

“I have to tell him, Gigi. He deserves to know, now more than ever. Sure, he might freak out a lot, but he needs to know. And then… then maybe serve the country he was meant to.”

Georgia chuckled, “And here I was thinking I had raised a musician, not a world leader.”

Hillary’s ears perked, “Alexander is a musician?”

“Uh, yeah,” Carlisle nodded, “Yeah, he’s in a band. They are actually performing tonight. I will tell him on the drive home tonight.”

“So Faith is going to know, too?” Georgia asked. Aiden assumed that Faith was their daughter.

“She might as well,” her husband replied, “doesn’t make sense to tell Alex and hide it from Faith, especially if it means Alex leaving someday to rule Norora.”

Georgia nodded, then took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Carlisle leaned over to kiss her arm, then looked at Aiden and Hillary.

“You two can stay here while we are at Alex’s show tonight. When we get back, he will know about his lineage, and you can talk to him about Norora.”

Aiden and Hillary shared a look, then the latter said, “That will work. We will be in here when you all get back.”

The Mercers nodded, then Carlisle said, “I need to go get changed, then we need to pick Faith up from debate practice, then we’ll head straight to the show. We’ll be back later tonight,” he stood up.

“We understand,” Aiden replied, “We will see you tonight.”

With a quick exhale, Carlisle left the office, his wife following behind, leaving the Nororans alone in the office.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -just wanted to point out that any character that is from Norora has a British accent. So does any character from any other country other than American (for future reference)

At almost eleven that night, Aiden and Hillary heard the front door open. They stood up, but paused as they listened in to the voices.

“...lex! Alex, stop! We need to talk about this!”

“No, I’m not talking about this! This is freaking insane!”

“I’m sorry I never told you, Alex, but you needed to-”

“I’m not a goddamn prince, dad!”

The Nororans took that queue to leave the office and go out to the living room, where they saw the family. There stood Carlisle and Georgia, along with Alexander and Faith. They all looked generally tired, but there was an extra level of exasperation on the young prince’s face. 

Carlisle sighed, “Look, I know the timing of me telling you isn’t really that ideal, but there’s more to this than what I’ve told you.”

“More?” Alexander put his hands on his hips, “What more do you have to say than that my birth mom was apparently the Queen of a country that I’ve only seen as a small dot on a map and that I’m… I’m…”

“Prince Alexander of Norora,” Aiden spoke up, catching the attention of the Mercer family, “Rightful heir to the throne.” Him and Hillary moved to where they were in the light.

“Alright, who the frick are you?” Alex asked, pointing at the guests.

Hillary straightened her posture, ignoring his almost-cursing, “I am Hillary Reynolds, head of security for Norora.”

“And I am Aiden Samson, King Anthony’s royal advisor.”

Faith’s eyes widened, a sparkle shining, “You know the king of a country… that’s so cool!”

“And you don’t only know, but are related to a prince,” Hillary smiled down at the young girl.

“I’m not a prince!” Alex tossed his hands in the air, “I’m just a normal teenager from LA. I go to high school, I have normal friends, and I have a plan for what I want to do with my life. And, in case it wasn’t clear, my future doesn’t include me running a country.”

Faith groaned, “But it’s so cool, Lexi! You can live in a castle, sit on a throne, wear a crown, go to balls and fancy dinner parties… it’s my dream!”

“Faith, how about you head up to bed,” Georgia told her daughter, “It’s late and we have some things we need to talk about with Alex and our guests.”

She pouted, but nodded, “Alright, but I want to hear everything tomorrow morning,” she moved to hug her brother and said, “great show tonight, Lexi. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night Faith,” he kissed the top of her head before she left the living room for the night. Alex then sighed and sat down, “Alright, let’s get this over with so I can wrap my head around all of this.”

His parents joined him on the couch as Aiden and Hillary took their place in the two recliners, which faced the couch. Alex took his black baseball cap off so he could lean his head all the way back, his blond hair falling in front of his face.

“Alexander, how-”

“Please just call me Alex,” he told Aiden. The advisor nodded and started over.

“Alex, how much do you know about your mother?”

He looked over at his dad, who gave him a somber look. Alex replied, “Not much before tonight. Dad used to tell me that they simply fell out of love and that they just weren’t meant for each other. I understood that, people fall out of love all the time. I know that they were never married, which helped with the excuse. I never really cared because I never knew my birth mom. The only mom I’ve ever had is my stepmom, who I love like we were blood.”

Georgia smiled at her stepson, and he grinned back at her.

“Obviously, you know that that is not true,” Aiden said, “Your mother was Queen Marie Astor, whom we originally thought was the last of the Astor line. Are you aware that your mother passed in 2014?”

Alex nodded, “Yeah, dad told me then, that he found out that my birth mom had died. But like I said, I wasn’t that affected because I didn’t know her.”

“Well her and our King never bore a child, which puts our nation at risk of being taken over.”

“Our main concern is a man named Caleb Covington,” Hillary continued on, “he was the royal advisor Aiden replaced. He is a power hungry fiend who wants to rule Norora as a dictator. He believes that we should bring big business to the country, which would destroy our economy and put thousands of good people out of work and cause horrible environmental problems. Surely you see the problems with that.”

“Well considering that we had our own power hungry dictator-like president for four years, yes I do.”

Aiden then explained, “Once King Anthony is unable to properly execute his position, Covington will strike. Unfortunately, his Majesty was recently diagnosed with cancer and given a time of only a few years.”

“Which means that he will soon be unable to lead properly and a new leader will be needed, and we do not want it to be Covington.” Hillary added.

Alex sighed, looking down at his hands, “So you want me to take my place on the throne and eventually become King.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

He let out a shaky breath, his head reeling, “I-I don’t know…”

Hillary and Aiden shared a look, then the latter said, “That does not sound like a yes or no.”

“Because it isn’t either of those,” Alex brought his head up, his eyes tearing, “I’ve seen what horrible things a conservative dictator can do and hurt its country. They take innocent people’s rights away, tear families apart, act like they are the perfect solution for the country when they only tear it apart. It’s brainwashing crap, just look at North Korea. And if me taking my place as Prince of Norora can stop that from happening, then it makes sense for me to do that.

“...but I still have a life here. I-I’m only in high school. I’m planning on going to college to study music theory and I have my band. My band--my friends--they mean the world to me. I mean, Luke and I have been best friends since we were seven. Julie and the Phantoms… we have a lot of potential to make it big. Luke, Reggie, Julie, even Flynn, they mean so much to me. And Wi...and Wil…”

He couldn't finish his sentence. They had been together for over two years, since freshman year homecoming. Willie was his whole world, and his parents knew that. They treated Willie like a son of their own, helping when his mom was out of work, driving the two of them to dates when they didn’t have their licenses, buying them pride flags in which Georgia sewed  _ A+W  _ into the bottom corner of each. Carlisle placed a hand on his son’s back as Alex tried to imagine leaving the love of his life.

Alex let out a sniffle and told the Nororans, “I’m going to need some time to think about it. Talk to my bandmates, get their opinions.”

Hillary then spoke, “Alex, I understand that this is a difficult decision, but it is one that you need to make, not anyone else.”

“Yeah, about that,” he let out a laugh, “you see, I have a pretty major anxiety problem and it makes it difficult to make big decisions without help. Otherwise I kind of cave in on myself, which is not a good thing. Besides, they are a major part of my life and they need to be in the loop, just a little.”

Aiden nodded, “Of course. But I will warn you, his Majesty wants an answer by tomorrow night. Is that enough time?”

Alex felt his heart drop. He had to make his decision in less than 24 hours? That was impossible. As his heart began to race, he let out a few coughs. He felt his dad grab his hand and squeeze it and heard his mom stand up and leave the room, probably to grab some water. His coughs soon turned to sobs, and he brought his knees up to his chest to cry in them.

“How about this,” Carlisle said in Alex’s direction,”how about you make the decision to visit Norora and feel it out, and then if you choose to go, you can make your final decision there. Would that make you more comfortable?”

Alex hesitated, then nodded. That sounded like a much easier decision. At that moment, Georgia had come back with a glass of water. He lifted his head and took the cup, taking a small sip of the water.

Carlisle turned to Aiden and Hillary, “Can he do that? Can he make the decision to simply visit Norora and get a feel for life there, life in the palace? And then he can make the decision to take a permanent place once he knows a little more?”

“If it means a possible positive answer, then yes, that is a viable solution,” Hillary said, and Aiden nodded along, “still, we need to give his Majesty an answer by tomorrow night.”

Alex let out another cough and replied, “I...I can do that.”

“Alright,” Hillary gave him a smile, “tomorrow night,” she and Aiden stood up, “Now, we should be getting to our hotel for the night. We will be back tomorrow when you have an answer. The number to call is in the office.”

Aiden quickly pulled out his phone to call their driver as Hillary shook hands with Carlisle, Georgia, and Alex. A few minutes later, a limo pulled up in front of the house and the Nororans were gone.

As the pulled away, Alex somehow could only say one thing:

“What in the  _ Princess Diaries  _ is happening with my life?”

~~~~

“You alright, Alex?” Luke asked as they were driving to Julie’s house for practice the next day. And, no, he obviously wasn’t. Alex had barely slept that night, thinking about what he was going to tell everyone and trying to figure out what to do. His panic attack lasted into the early hours of the morning and he was woken up by Luke honking outside at almost 11. So… no. He was not alright.

“I’m… I’ll explain it at practice…” he mumbled, sinking into his seat.

Luke shook his head, “I thought something was going on last night after your parents were adamant on getting you home, especially since we were all going to go get pizza at Drake’s after. It wasn’t the same without you.”

“I know, I know…” Alex sighed, “They just had to talk to me. I’ll explain it to everyone. It’s… kinda a lot.”

“What could your parents have to say at that late that is considered ‘a lot?’”

Alex shook his head, “You have no idea.”

They arrived at Julie’s a few minutes later. They waved to her dad, Ray, through the window as they walked to the back and to the garage, where their studio was. They opened the big door to reveal the rest of the band, as well as Flynn and Willie. They sat around the table with their noses in their phones and not talking. Luke and Alex laughed a little.

“Are you guys playing  _ Among Us  _ without us?” Luke asked with a chuckle, sitting next to Julie on the floor. Alex joined his boyfriend on the couch and looked over his shoulder to watch him play. Willie was the imposter for this round, and he looked on just as he made a kill on a lime crewmate, Flynn. Alex glanced over to see Flynn roll her eyes and move to continue her tasks as a ghost. About a minute passed before their body was found and the voting time began.

“No, Flynn!” Julie pouted.

“Found her in admin,” Reggie said, “near the vent.”

“Self report,” Willie rolled his eyes.

Reggie looked exasperated, “What the f- no! I was going to upload data.”

“Then why would you be down by the vent?” Willie argued, “Besides, I just saw you in the hall by nav. That vent can take you to admin.”

Luke gave him a sorry look, “He’s got a point, Reg.”

The majority voted Reggie off, revealing that they were not the imposter. The game went on for a few more minutes before Willie was victorious.

“You are too good at imposter, Will,” Flynn shook their head as she closed her phone, “now, let’s actually start. Willie and I have some marketing things to go over while you guys practice.”

As the group moved to start, Alex stayed seated and said, “Hey, uh, I actually have to tell you guys something before we start.”

The group went right back to their previous spots. All eyes were on Alex, something he was not that comfortable with, sometimes even with his closest friends. He swallowed a large lump in his throat and began.

“So, you know my parents rushed me out after last night and I missed pizza. Sorry about that, again. I wanted to be there, I promise,” he stopped himself and shook his head. He was getting off track, “Uh, anyway, my parents, or more so my dad, needed to tell me about my mom. My birth mom.”

Reggie furrowed their eyebrows, “Didn’t she die when you were, like, eleven? And you never met her, right?”

Alex nodded, “Yeah, both of those are correct. I never knew her, not even her name. But… I found out last night. Her name was Marie. Marie Astor.”

He heard Julie gasp and his eyes went right to her. Her hands flew over her mouth in shock. Obviously, she knew who Marie Astor was, somehow. The others looked confused at Julie’s reaction, but Alex felt relieved that his friends were more likely to believe him.

“Alex…” Julie removed her hands, “Your mother is Queen Marie Astor? Of Norora?”

He nodded a little, “Yeah… yeah she was my mom.”

“I’m sorry,” Luke asked while moving his hands in a wiping motion, “What the hell is Norora and what do you mean your mom was the Queen of it?”

“It’s a small island country off the coast of Norway,” Julie explained, “I did some research on it when doing a project on countries that gained independence from England.”

Alex continued, “Yeah, what Julie said. Marie Astor, my mom, was Queen. Apparently, she visited the US for a while and met my dad when he was at Georgetown in DC. They fell in love and had me. She left so she could become Queen and I stayed here with my dad.”

The group just stared at him. Alex looked over at Willie, who shared the same look at everyone else: utter shock. He knew what they were all thinking, so he just decided to say it for them.

“Yes… that means that I’m a prince, the Prince of Norora. Yes, Willie, you are dating a prince.”

Flynn let out a small chuckle, “I knew your last name sounded royal.”

“I’m dating a prince…” Willie breathed. Alex leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. He wasn’t ready for the next part.

“There’s a reason why he decided to tell me last night.”

“...okay?” Luke shrugged, “What is it?”

Alex bit his lip and went on, “My mother and her husband, the King and current ruling monarch, never had a child together. It just… wouldn’t happen for them. Apparently  _ I  _ was a miracle. Anyway, when my mom died, the crazy royal advisor set his plan to eventually take over and become a dictator once the throne was vacant. They didn’t think that was going to be for a long time, but that’s not really the case. The king was recently diagnosed with cancer, and apparently, out of fear of not being able to find a new royal family and fight this old advisor, my maternal grandmother decided to reveal my existence to the King. They… they want me to be their next monarch.”

The room became still.

Alex studied each person’s face. Reggie’s eyes were as wide as ping pong balls, his pupils darting around the room, trying to make sense of everything. Julie’s hands were once again over her mouth and Luke’s cheeks were getting redder by the second. Flynn’s gaze was fixated to the ground and her breaths were audibly choppy. And Willie… Willie’s face was the most unreadable. 

“Look, I haven’t said yes to it. I told them that I would make the decision whether or not to go to Norora, feel things out, see royal life for what it is, then make my final decision after that if I go. I am telling you guys because I need help making this decision. You know I’m bad at making my own major choices.”

Again, silence. Alex rolled his eyes, “Can someone say something? Please?”

Luke stood up and over Alex, “You can’t do this.” His face was blood red with anger.

“Luke, don’t-” Julie tried.

“No. He asked for our input, so I’m going to give it,” he turned back to the drummer, “You can’t do this!”

“Can I have an explanation on why you don’t want me to do this?”

“This is freaking insane!” Luke threw his arms in the air, “You aren’t a prince, you’re a teenager from California! You’re a drummer in a pop-rock band! A band that has real potential to be the next big thing! You can’t just abandon that to play dress up.”

Julie then stood up, “Luke, calm down, for Christ sake! This is about more than the band. Stop thinking about music for once in your life. Besides, this is Alex’s decision to make. Good friends support their friend’s decisions, not try to keep them from a potentially great experience.”

“So you think he should go?”

“I’m saying it’s his decision.” Julie gestured to Alex.

Reggie nodded, “Julie’s right, Luke. I mean, I don’t want to lose Alex, either. He was the first person I ever came out to, both about my sexuality and my gender. He’s our stabilizer and glue, but he can’t help who his family is and what they are asking of him. But, no matter what he decides to do, this isn’t the end of the band.”

Alex laughed a little, “Yeah, you can’t get rid of me that easily. We are Julie and The Phantoms no matter how far apart we are.”

Flynn stood next, “I think you should give it a try. It’ll give you a chance to get to know your mom a little more, try out her culture. And I know this won’t change our friendship.”

Alex smiled at her, then turned to his boyfriend. Willie was still in the same position as before, frozen in place. Alex placed a hand on his arm, “Willie?”

No reply.

“You wanna talk about this outside?”

Willie nodded.

He guided him outside of the garage, where they stood out by the wall. Alex bit his lip and looked down at his timid fingers.

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to.”

It was true. Out of all of the voices, Willie’s mattered the most to him. It may have been the only voice that mattered in the end.

A shaky breath.

“You should go.”

Alex looked at him confused, “That’s not the stance I expected you to take.”

Willie sighed, “Even though you’ve known Luke and Reggie longer than you’ve known me, I know you the best. I can read you like an open book, which means I can tell that you’ve already made your decision.”

“What? Willie I-”

“I know that you want to go,” Willie gave him a small smile, “You want to try it out. I know that you know that you can make a difference by taking your place as Prince, and that gives you a major sense of purpose. And you know what? You’d be a great leader. You already are. You are so selfless and kind and just a wonderful human being. You have this amazing spark that spreads like wildfire to those you touch. That is a great characteristic of a prince. Even of a king.”

Alex took his hands into his own, “Won’t you miss me, though?”

“Yeah, of course I’ll miss you,” he squeezed his hands, “God, I don’t know what I’d do without you with me.”

“Then I should stay.”

“But there are more people in the world than me. There are thousands of good people in Norora who would suffer if some selfish prick took the throne. I mean, you were obviously born for this. And you know that wherever you are in the world, you are always right here,” he placed his hand over his own heart, “and I’m always right there,” he puts his hand over Alex’s.

Alex lets out a sob and says, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” A tear runs down Willie’s face, “more than anything.”

Alex cups Willie’s face and kisses him with everything he has. They melt into each other and suddenly they are the only two people in the world. This was going to be a new, unexplored stage in their relationship, but both knew that nothing could break them apart. Not even a crown.


	4. Chapter 3

“This is happening faster than I anticipated.”

Willie sighed and tossed Alex his Air Force Ones, “Your step-dad seems desperate. It sucks, but it’s not like you can help it.”

“It’s still not fair that I have to leave tomorrow,” Alex placed the shoes in his suitcase, “I told Aiden and Hillary that I would go four hours ago, and half an hour later they told me the plane would be taking off at two tomorrow. I’ve barely had time to email my teachers.”

“I’m sure they’d be understanding.”

Alex laughed as he went to grab a stack of t-shirts, “Yeah, because being jetted off to a small European country to see what royal life is like is the same as missing class because a family member died.”

“You’ve got to chill out, Hot Dog,” Willie walked over to him and took the shirts from Alex, packing them for him, “I know this is a new experience. And, yes, it’s terrifying, but I know you’ll do great. Besides, it’s just a trip. You aren’t making any major decisions right now.”

“But I’m going to have to…” Alex looked at the suitcase open on his bed. Aiden and Hillary had told him not to pack much, just some clothes, his technology, and his school work. It didn’t seem like enough, but he wasn’t going to question them. He assumed that they had been planning his stay for a little bit and, since he was technically the Prince, gave him a lot of accomodations. He and Willie had been packing for an hour and it seemed like he had packed what they asked for.

Willie slid his arms around Alex’s torso from behind, giving his boyfriend a small squeeze, “You have time. Take that time.”

Alex leaned into him and closed his eyes. He wished that they could stay that way forever. Just the two of them, wrapped up in each other’s arms with no one around to stop them. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. So, he moved to shut his suitcase and moved it off the bed and near his bedroom door, which was cracked open. He pushed it shut and sighed. Yeah, he did have time. He just wished he had more than what he was given.

He wished for more time with the band. Whenever he went back into the studio to tell the rest about his decision, Luke had immediately broken down into tears. They had been best friends since second grade, whenever Alex and his dad moved from DC to LA. Luke was the first person he had ever come out to, when they were thirteen. It was Alex who Luke went to when he felt broken after realizing he had no sexual desires at all. The two of them met Reggie in sixth grade, the same year Alex started playing the drums. Sunset Curve, their first band with just the three of them, was founded less than a year later. Like Luke, Reggie confided in Alex about his sexuality when they were in eight grade. On a different day that school year, Alex and Reggie were each other’s first kisses. He had been the one to first meet Julie, being her freshman orientation group’s leader going into his sophomore year. She told him that she sang and played keyboard, and she joined the band only a week later. A few weeks after that, they were Julie and the Phantoms.

More than anything, he wished he had more time with Willie. They met in seventh grade science, being sat next to each other by the teacher. They connected immediately, even though they were very different people. Willie was outgoing and loud and a little cocky. They stayed in touch when they didn’t share any classes the next year, but then things changed when they got to high school.

Alex knew Willie was gay, just like Willie knew Alex was gay. The drummer had never thought about it that much until they, once again, had science together their freshman year. Willie had become a little flirtatious, but Alex never read into it. He just assumed that was his personality. Even so, Alex could tell the puberty was doing this boy justice. He had lost all of his baby fat and had the sharpest cheekbones Alex had ever seen. His hair was a lot longer, and he was wearing clothes that drove Alex nuts. It didn’t take long for him to develop the biggest crush on Willie. He figured that it was one-sided and never acted on his feelings. That is, not until the homecoming dance.

Alex was sitting awkwardly on the bleachers while Reggie and Luke were off dancing with some girls that Alex barely knew. Crowds were never his thing and dances were even worse. There were a few others sitting, including a couple in the top corner inhaling each other. Willie had joined him about halfway through the dance, asking why he wasn’t out dancing with his friends. Alex told him about his anxiety issues, and Willie understood. So, he took him out of the gym and into the hallway where the locker rooms were. Willie asked for a dance, and Alex hesitantly agreed. It was very awkward at first, with them dancing like they were at a middle school formal. But then some words were said, some feelings were mutually confessed, and they suddenly became a lot more comfortable in each other’s arms. Not before a short, sweet kiss, of course. 

He had made the last two and a half years nearly perfect.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Willie was now reaching into his backpack, taking out his laptop, “I mean, that’s what we usually do when I stay the night. You still up for that?”

A movie sounded nice. It was a sense of normalcy, something that was going to be taken away from him once he was in Norora. They could watch a _Captain America_ movie, which were Willie’s favorites. Alex could listen to him explain why the second one was the best MCU movie of all time for hours and never get bored. The action scenes made him tense up at times, but the comfort that it was all fake helped. 

Or they could watch _Booksmart_ , Alex’s favorite movie. It was dumb, crude, and yet so heartwarming and wonderful. It was also gay, which he only saw as a plus. There was a need for lightening the situation and watching a comedy seemed needed. Or they could watch _Alex Strangelove_ , another favorite that they both shared. Again, crude, heartwarming, but in this case, extremely gay. Watching a character with the same name as him become comfortable in his own skin always gave him, as well as Willie, the feels. There were plenty of movies for them to choose to watch that night. They could even watch multiple movies and sleep in a little. 

Willie was right, he had time.

And Alex wanted to spend the time he had left in LA with the love of his life.

So he walked towards Willie, took the laptop from his hand, set it on the floor, then pushed him against the wall and pressed their lips together with as much force and passion as he could.

~~~~

Georgia handed her husband a glass of wine and joined him in front of the TV in the living room, where a cooking show was playing. She took a sip of her own drink, then set her eyes on Carlisle. He was stoic, staring at the TV without taking any of it in. She ran a hand through his hair and bit her lip.

“He will be fine, honey. He wouldn’t have made this choice if he wasn’t comfortable doing it.”

Carlisle shook his head, “I know. It’s just… I feel like this is all my fault.”

“You fell in love,” Georgia gave him a small smile, “and I’m sure Marie was a wonderful girl.”

“We weren’t planning on having him,” he told her, “but… God, I should have told him sooner. I shouldn’t have been so naive to think that this wasn’t a possibility, that someday Marie’s life would come seeping into mine again. That Alex wasn’t going to be any part of it. And now he’s being ripped from us, his friends, his love… it’s all my fault.”

Georgia moved her hand to hold his and squeezed it, “Car, Alex is making this choice. No one is forcing him to do anything. You know that he spent hours and hours thinking about what he thought was right for him, and he made his choice. And he could change his mind at any time and come right back home. But if he doesn’t, if he decides to stay in Norora and be their Prince and eventual King, then it’s still his choice. And our job as his parents is to always be there for him, no matter what.”

She was right. She was always right. Alex was old enough to make his own decisions and carry them out. He had already talked about his plans for him, Luke, Reggie, and Willie to all go to UCLA, about how he was going to study music theory. He had talked about how serious the band was and that they were hoping to land a record deal at some point. Through all of that, Carlisle and Georgia listened and supported him. They did that Alex’s freshman year when he said he was dating someone and brought a boy over for dinner. The same boy who was currently upstairs with their son probably watching a movie.

The faint sound of 80s rock could be heard from upstairs.

Carlisle chucked. They definitely were not watching a movie.

But they were in love. He himself had been in love twice, as well as Georgia. This change was going to be hard on everyone currently in that house.

Carlisle pulled Georgia close, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head on his chest. They shared a look of peace before setting their eyes on the TV and laughed along with _Worst Cooks in America_.

They were going to get through this.

~~~~

“His Majesty cannot wait to meet him,” Hillary told Carlisle and Georgia the next morning, sitting at the kitchen table with Aiden as they were presented with breakfast. It was a little late, the time being almost 10 in the morning, but Georgia always made breakfast on Sunday mornings and her kids usually slept in. The Nororans were thankful, though. It was their first home cooked meal in a few days.

“Well, I’m glad,” Georgia smiled as she gave them their plates, “I hope he realized that Alex is just a kid, though. He isn’t going to assimilate easily to Nororan customs.”

Aiden nodded, “Alex’s grandmother, Elodie, has agreed to take him under her wing while he is making his decision. She was once our Queen, so she should easily be able to help him. She understands that this will be rough on him.”

Faith joined the group next, plopping down next to Hillary to talk to her about Norora and the palace. Georgia placed her food in front of her and ruffled her curly tangled hair.

“So are there, like, crowns and sceptres and all of that stuff?”

“Indeed,” Hillary grinned, “our royals only wear them for special occasions, such as balls, knightings, and coronations, but they are very gorgeous. The Prince’s crown is very beautiful, if I may say so myself. It is gold and encrusted with rubies and diamonds. Your brother would look absolutely handsome in it.”

Faith frowned a little, “I’m going to miss him.”

“You’ll get to talk to him whenever he can and you want,” she told her, “that’ll be more often than you think.”

Not long later, two more figures walked into the kitchen. One was Alex, who was already dressed for the plane ride, and a boy Aiden and Hillary had never met. 

“Mmm, avocado toast,” Alex said as he took a piece that was on the counter, taking a bite. Georgia rolled her eyes and gestured to the plates.

“Let me make your plate and then go sit down,” she turned to the other boy, “Willie, I made enough for you, too.”

“Thanks, Georgia,” Willie smiled as he and Alex made their way to the table and sat down.

Aiden turned to them, “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” he gestured to Willie. Hillary looked as well.

“Oh,” Alex’s eyes widened for a moment, then he cleared his throat, “yeah, right. This is a little awkward. Willie, this Aiden and Hillary, two close confidants to the King. They are the ones who came to get me and told me everything. Aiden, Hillary, this is my boyfriend Willie.”

 _Boyfriend_. Alex had a boyfriend. This was not what they were expecting. Aiden and Hillary didn’t get a chance to mention it as side conversations began.

“How’s your mom doing, Willie?” Carlisle asked as they all ate at the table.

“Good,” he answered, “she just got promoted to assistant manager a few weeks ago, so we’re in a bit better shape now.”

“That’s great. Just let us know if we can help at all. You know that.”

Willie smiled, “I do. She does, too. Thank you,” he looked at Alex, “She’s coming by to say goodbye before you leave, by the way. She’s going to miss the hell out of you.”

“I’m going to miss her, too,” he replied, “and her brownies. No woman can make brownies like her.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Aiden said, “but we do have a gourmet baker at the palace in case you ever get a sweet tooth. She can make almost anything you desire.”

Alex pointed at him, “Noted.”

Willie looked down at his phone, “Hey, I gotta get going, but I’ll be back before you leave.”

“Oh, do you need me to drive you back home?” Alex asked, and Willie shook his head.

“Nah, I’ll take the bus. You need to stay here and finish getting ready,” he pecked his lips before standing up, “thank you for breakfast, by the way.”

“Of course, Willie.” Georgia smiled.

Willie leaned down to steal one more, slightly longer kiss from Alex before grabbing his things and heading out the door.

There was a slight pause before Faith said, “Is he wearing your David Bowie shirt?”

Alex gave her a small stink eye before taking another bite from his toast. Aiden let out a hesitant breath before turning his attention to the Prince, “His Majesty cannot know about him.”

He paused mid bite. Alex set the toast down and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, what?”

“King Anthony, nor your grandmother, can know about him,” Aiden pointed to the door Willie just exited from.

“Why?” He asked, even though he felt like he didn’t need to. He figured that this answer would be a familiar one.

Aiden sighed, “Being a royal means passing down your blood for future generations of rulers. We already almost faced a scare of the royal bloodline dying. We cannot risk that again.”

This conversation was not going to end well. Anyone who knew Alex knew that any conversation like this never ended well.

“Has the ‘royal bloodline’ ever heard of adoption? Surrogacy? Or even of gay people? I mean, the Nororan royal family has been around for centuries, surely I’m not the first gay one.”

“Perhaps you're not,” Hillary said, “but if so, they never revealed it. It is crucial that the bloodline keeps running so that more rulers are born. That is how a monarchy works.”

“I know that’s how it works,” Alex rolled his eyes, “but there is more to family than blood. I mean, Faith and I aren’t blood, but we’re still brother and sister. I view my bandmates like siblings. And there are poor kids in orphanages and in foster care that need homes, and when they are adopted, that doesn’t make them any less part of the family they go into. Family isn’t always blood.”

“Alex,” Aiden said softly, “I understand that this is making you upset. This boy obviously means a lot to you. But we cannot worry your family, your royal family, any more than they already are. Please just keep it under wraps for now.”

 _For now._ That could mean he could be honest about who he loves someday. Maybe this was a reason not to go, not to be Prince. If he wasn’t going to be allowed to be his true self, then maybe it wasn’t worth it. But he promised to try it out, so he is going to try it out. Maybe he could cause a spark of change in the monarchy.

Alex spends the next few hours hanging with his family. They watch a movie in the living room cuddled close together. Carlisle, Georgia, and Faith each give positive affirmations to Alex as his anxiety grows throughout the day. He loves his family, and he is going to miss it being like this. Any sense for normalcy would be gone in a matter of hours, and it was really scary. But it wasn’t like he was going to be saying goodbye forever. He would come home, they would come visit him. They could still call and text. It would all be okay.

At 12:10, Alex was putting his suitcase in the trunk of the limo, with the help of the driver, Dante. They had to be gone by 12:30, so it left Alex a little bit more time to say goodbye to his family. The four of them shared one long group hug where all of them were crying. It wasn’t the end, but it sure felt like it at that moment.

“We’ll come visit you,” Georgia smiled, “Make sure to keep up with your online school work. It’ll be a change, but you’ll do great.”

“It’s all one big change,” Alex smiled, “but thank you, mom. You know that I’ll always see you as my real mom, even if you didn’t give birth to me.”

The two of them hugged tightly.

He then turned to Faith, “I know this doesn’t make you a princess, but you’ve always been one to me. Even before I knew about all of this.”

“Thanks, Lexi,” they embraced, “bring me back some jewels.”

Alex laughed as he turned to his dad. They had already had a private conversation about everything. No words were needed. They just held each other tightly in solidarity.

“I love you, dad.”

“I love you, too, Alex.”

He heard a throat clear, and Alex let his dad go, turned around, and froze. His mouth fell open as he saw Willie, Luke, Reggie, Julie, and Flynn standing in front of him in a line, all but Reggie and Flynn’s families behind them.

Reggie counted under his breath, and his friends began to sing.

Alex couldn’t hold back his tears as they sang _Don’t Forget Where You Belong_ by One Direction acapella. They had all learned that song in Mrs. Harrison’s music class, so it was only fitting that this was how they said goodbye. Everyone else was in awe, too, including Aiden and Hillary. Their voices blended so well together, and Alex wanted to join in so badly. But he knew that this was a gift for him, so he refrained. He simply just watched and loved it.

When they finished, Alex ran over to them and shared a massive group hug with all of them. Once that was broken up, he went one-by-one with each of them.

“Keep on rocking that bass, Reg,” Alex smiled at them, “and just keep on being you.”

“When am I not?” They shared a laugh, “and hit me up if you meet any cute princes or princesses you think I might dig.”

“Will do.”

He then moved on to Flynn, who gave him a hip-bump, then a hug, “You’ll do great. Just remember to keep me updated.”

Alex let her go and nodded, “I will, trust me.”

“Oh, _mijo_ ,” Ray clasped his shoulder, “Just keep being you over there.”

“Take lots of pictures!” Carlos, Julie’s little brother, beamed from his dad’s side. Alex ruffled his hair, then turned to hug Julie.

“What my dad said,” she told him, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Me too, Jules,” Alex chuckled, “keep them all in line for me okay?”

Julie gave him a salute and he walked over to the Pattersons.

“Be safe on your trip,” Emily said as she hugged Alex, “and don’t be afraid to call if you need anything. We love you.”

“Love you, too, Emily,” Alex let her go and nodded to Mitch, “You, too.”

He turned to Luke, who threw himself in Alex’s arms. They held each other tight, no words needing to be shared. Luke knew why Alex was doing this, and he supported him. This wasn’t the end of two of them. This wasn’t the end of Julie and the Phantoms. Luke knew this deep in his heart.

“Love you, man,” Luke said once they parted.

Alex smiled, “I love you, too. Keep on rocking.”

They fist bumped before Alex made his last stop with Willie and his mother. 

“You are so strong and brave,” Tammy whispered as she hugged her son’s boyfriend, “you will do such great things over there. I just know it.”

“You are amazing, Tammy,” Alex told her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

Nothing had to be said to Willie. Everything that needed to be said was said the night before in his bed. The sweet nothings between breaths and moans, the light kisses to Alex’s moles on his neck and collar bone (angel kisses, Willie called them), the way they held each other as they slept, Alex giving Willie one of his favorite shirts, and everything in between. So Alex cupped Willie’s face and kissed him softly. Willie grasped his wrists and held on tight. 

“I love you more than anything,” Alex whispered, their foreheads pressed together.

“And I love you more than that,” Willie replied, a tear falling from his face. They shared one more quick kiss before Alex pried himself away and walked to Aiden and Hillary.

“Are you ready to go?” Aiden asked. Alex looked at his friends and family one more time, a bright smile on his face.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.”

He climbed into the limo with Aiden and Hillary, waving goodbye though to everyone through the window that was down. The engine started, the gear shifted, and the limo pulled away from the house. 

Once everyone was out of his sight, the window rolled up and Alex sat back in his seat. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

“Norora, here I come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to make some clarifications, but I'm putting them down here so you could read the chapter first.
> 
> -Willie was raised by a single mother and they struggle financially. She works at retail store.  
> -Julie's mother, Rose, is dead in this. I wanted to keep the single father story because it was sweet in the show.  
> -Mitch and Emily are all for the band in this. I wanted to give that family a good relationship.  
> -Reggie's parents still fight, I mentioned that earlier.  
> -I promise my character tags don't lie, you'll meet Carrie and Nick later on.


End file.
